Ian McEwan captures the life of a child, Briony, who struggles with growing up too quickly. Her notion between the real world is tainted by the fantasy world, only able to place people in the categories of heroes and villains. Briony is caught in a series of events where she is quick to become the …
A disgruntled princess, ax-wielding dryads, porcupine wranglers who dream of hitting it big on the Country Western charts, a catered hanging — this collection of straight-faced, angst-ridden whimsy, which I first read 20 years ago and have come back to several times, was my introduction to Donald Barthelme’s singular riffs on the ambiguities of life, …
I got really into John Ashbery this summer, and stumbled across this translation he did of Pierre Reverdy’s Haunted House. After reading the brief seventy pages, I came across one truth: Pierre Reverdy is out of his mind. The book has very little to do with a haunted house in any physical way, and the …
Sula is a book by Toni Morrison set in a Southern atmosphere post-slavery. It is centered around two friends, Sula and Nel, who are polar opposites of each other base on their upbringings. Nel was raised in a conventional home with values to match, while Sula lives with her mother and her grandmother in a …
Although no one but me would notice, I’m a little sheepish about recommending Marilynne Robinson’s new book, Home, given that in last month’s Bowdoin magazine I recommended the new president read Robinson’s earlier book Gilead. I do read other authors—really—but I love Robinson’s writing. Her language is exquisite and her stories are lovingly told. Home …
The Contract With God Trilogy was not the first graphic novel to use that phrase, but it was one of the groundbreaking creations that helped to found the graphic novel genre. Author Will Eisner draws upon real-life experiences and memories to create the fictional Dropsie Avenue in the Bronx neighborhood of the 1930s. The first …
Though it has taken me quite awhile to get through “Consumed,” it has proved a fascinating read. Barber analyzes the evolution of consumer capitalism and how individuals become consumers first rather than citizens. What I like about Barber’s argument is that even though he makes some big claims about the adverse effects consumption and markets …
Burning Chrome is a selection of short stories by esteemed science fiction author William Gibson. Most people see science fiction as some sort of “lesser” genre that deals only with robots, space travel, and aliens; has no real literary value, and appeals primarily to geeks and Star Trek fans, but Gibson’s work is nothing like …
Hollywood Italians is a fantastic book about the portrayal of Italian Americans in film all the way from silent black and white movies up until the present day HBO hit The Sopranos. The book is separated into chapters dealing with common Italian American stereotypical roles such as boxers, mafiosi, and Romeos. The book also deals …
A New Earth is an easy read with valuable information for me on how I want to live my life—in the present, without ego or attachments. In doing so, releasing judgment, fear, anger, and ego allows me to truly and authentically be me and experience life each day, not just go through it. To also …